Fresh off a crushing defeat in her congressional primary, Representative Liz Cheney told NBC’s “Today” Wednesday morning that she’s “thinking about” running for president in the 2024 election.
The Wyoming Republican, who bucked her party by emerging as an outspoken critic of former president Donald Trump and his baseless claims about the presidential election being stolen, added that she will make a decision about a potential bid in the “coming months.”
“That’s a decision that I’m going to make in the coming months,” Cheney said during the interview with Savannah Guthrie. “I’m not going to make any announcements here this morning. But it is something that I am thinking about.”
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Cheney, who conceded the race to Trump-endorsed lawyer Harriet Hageman Tuesday night, at first deflected from answering when asked if entering the race was a move she was considering. Instead, she noted the work she has left to complete as an elected official, and her role as the vice chair of the House panel investigating the insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021, at the US Capitol.
“Also, though, I’m going to be making sure that people all around this country understand the stakes of what we’re facing, understand the extent to which we’ve now got one major political party — my party — which has really become a cult of personality,” she said.
In an exclusive TODAY Show interview, Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY), fresh off her blowout primary defeat, confirms she is thinking about running for president in 2024 and will make a decision in the “coming months.” pic.twitter.com/WR5gBHH4V8
— The Recount (@therecount) August 17, 2022
Cheney said her efforts moving forward will be focused on “doing whatever it takes to keep Donald Trump out of the Oval Office” for a second time.
The third-term congresswoman, and daughter of former vice president Dick Cheney, chalked up her loss Tuesday night to not joining others in her party by promoting the so-called “Big Lie,” adding that there are “some things that have got to be above politics.”
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“There’s no political office that’s more important than the principles that we take an oath to defend,” Cheney, a staunch conservative, said. “I believe that Donald Trump continues to pose a very grave threat and risk to our Republic. And I think that defeating him is going to require a broad and united front of Republicans, Democrats, and Independents.”
Cheney said she “intends to be part of” that bipartisan coalition.
“I think that we have a tremendous amount of work to do,” she said.
Shannon Larson can be reached at shannon.larson@globe.com. Follow her @shannonlarson98.